Rockford police fund paid $169K for legal, medical bills

ROCKFORD — Six disability applications that came before the Rockford Police Pension Fund in the last two years have resulted in a hefty series of bills for the taxpayer-funded organization.

Sean F. Driscoll

ROCKFORD — Six disability applications that came before the Rockford Police Pension Fund in the last two years have resulted in a hefty series of bills for the taxpayer-funded organization.

The board has spent about $169,000 on legal and medical fees for those six disability cases filed with the board since 2010, according to a review of the board’s finances. More than one-third of the total was spent on one case: former police officer Stan North, who received a duty-related disability pension in June 2011 after suffering post-traumatic stress stemming from the 2009 shooting of Mark Anthony Barmore.

Although the fees add up, there’s little the board can do to cut costs. State law requires the pension board pay for three independent medical exams for every disability application that comes before the board. The board’s attorneys handle the scheduling of those exams and review the results, plus do other research and preparation before the case is heard in an open hearing. At $225 an hour for attorneys Roberta Holzwarth and Al Mezny, both from Rockford law firm Holmstrom & Kennedy, the prep work isn’t cheap, even for the most straightforward cases.

The board is also largely at the mercy of the reviewing physicians as to how much they’ll charge for the exam and preparation of a medical report. Fees can range from a few hundred dollars to several thousand depending on the physician’s billing.

“It’s just the price of doing business,” said board President Jeff Nielsen. “We’re mandated by law to get the opinions of three medical doctors, and depending on the nature of what’s wrong with the individuals, that can get very expensive. It’s what we have to do.”

Still, the costs are relatively minor compared to the lifetime payouts of a disability pension. Duty-related disabilities pay two-thirds of an officer’s salary; nonduty disability pensions pay half. Each is guaranteed for life.

Sean F. Driscoll: 815-987-1346; sdriscoll@rrstar.com

Cost of doing business
Below is a summary of legal and medical costs for the six disability applications received by the Rockford Police Pension Fund since 2010. Data is current as of July.